Former South Point standout Justice steps up when Lenoir-Rhyne needed him most

After starting the season as Lenoir-Rhyne University’s third-team quarterback, former South Point standout Josh Justice came off the bench in the second half to lead a 27-20 comeback win over rival Carson-Newman in the NCAA Division II second round this past Saturday.

Phil Robinson/SportsFotos

By Richard Walker

Published: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 08:39 AM.

HICKORY – Perhaps the playoffs are simply Josh Justice’s time to shine.

At South Point High in the fall of 2009, Justice played the best football of his career in leading the Red Raiders to the N.C. 3A state championship.

And last Saturday, after starting the season as Lenoir-Rhyne University’s third-team quarterback, Justice came off the bench in the second half to lead a 27-20 comeback win over rival Carson-Newman in the NCAA Division II second round.

“Josh has been with us for four years and he ran the triple (option) in high school,” said L-R coach Mike Houston, whose 11-1 team hosts North Alabama on Saturday at noon in the Super Region II championship game. “He’s the kind of guy that comes in and works hard every day.

“… And he's done a good job of that the last several weeks and when you do that and prepare yourself and you work hard, when you get your opportunity … then you’re prepared to make the plays. And what a clutch performance in the second half.”

Justice entered the game when former backup Teverrius Jones was injured in the third quarter with the Bears facing a 20-10 deficit.

The 2009 Gazette offensive player of the year, Justice promptly finished off a drive for a field goal that cut the margin to 20-13, then directed scoring drives of 74 and 92 yards, respectively, to tie the score and give Lenoir-Rhyne the winning margin.

HICKORY – Perhaps the playoffs are simply Josh Justice’s time to shine.

At South Point High in the fall of 2009, Justice played the best football of his career in leading the Red Raiders to the N.C. 3A state championship.

And last Saturday, after starting the season as Lenoir-Rhyne University’s third-team quarterback, Justice came off the bench in the second half to lead a 27-20 comeback win over rival Carson-Newman in the NCAA Division II second round.

“Josh has been with us for four years and he ran the triple (option) in high school,” said L-R coach Mike Houston, whose 11-1 team hosts North Alabama on Saturday at noon in the Super Region II championship game. “He’s the kind of guy that comes in and works hard every day.

“… And he's done a good job of that the last several weeks and when you do that and prepare yourself and you work hard, when you get your opportunity … then you’re prepared to make the plays. And what a clutch performance in the second half.”

Justice entered the game when former backup Teverrius Jones was injured in the third quarter with the Bears facing a 20-10 deficit.

The 2009 Gazette offensive player of the year, Justice promptly finished off a drive for a field goal that cut the margin to 20-13, then directed scoring drives of 74 and 92 yards, respectively, to tie the score and give Lenoir-Rhyne the winning margin.

“We were just trying to move the chains,” said Justice, who scored on a 4-yard run for the tying score then completed a 10-yard pass to Greyson Wells for the winning score. “It wasn't about the home run shots, we just had to keep moving the football.”

Justice’s breakthrough performance came after he considered giving up the sport.

Recruited to Lenoir-Rhyne in 2010, Justice had played in only five of the 44 games he’d been on the Bears’ roster before last Saturday.

“I was close to giving up on football and my playing days,” Justice said.

Instead, Justice stuck around as the Bears won their third straight South Atlantic Conference title and started getting more playing time as a backup quarterback when Miles Freeman was lost for the season in the ninth game.

Houston tried to boost Justice’s spirits by telling him he needed to start preparing like a starter once Freeman was out of action.

“That talk when Miles went down was big,” Justice said.

Former Lenoir-Rhyne coach Fred Goldsmith also offered some encouragement.

“He did our chapel (last Friday night),” Justice said. “He said, ‘You never know when you might get called on.’ He was confident in me and I was confident in myself. But, on this team, we all trust in each other. Nobody panicked – even when (Jones) got hurt.”

After replacing Jones with 6 1-2 minutes left in the third quarter, Justice directed 21 offensive plays for 162 yards. He ran nine times for 59 yards and one touchdown and completed all four of his passes for 44 yards and another touchdown.

“A gutsy little ole kid who took some shots and kept performing,” said Carson-Newman coach Ken Sparks, who has guided the Eagles to 318 wins in his 34 seasons at the Jefferson City, Tenn., school. “Usually, when you’re on the opposite side, you feel pretty good when you’re playing against a third-team quarterback. But he was outstanding.”

Entering Saturday’s regional final, Justice is listed as the backup to Jones. But after last week’s effort, it would seem certain Justice will get a chance to help Lenoir-Rhyne advance in the NCAA Division II semifinals.

“He’s been running this offense for eight years and he’s got a lot of experience,” Houston said of Justice. “Probably the biggest thing is that you’re sitting around in the second round of the playoffs – in the biggest game in the history of the school in 50 years – and he has great composure.

“Not only running through tackles, but everything. He didn’t let the moment be too much for him.”

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22